MG books on war...titles please!

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MG books on war...titles please!

I'm co-hosting #mglitchat on 12/13 and topic is MG and War. I don't think I've read an MG with war as part of the plot. Anyone have any good recommendations so I can read up for my hostess duties? Thanks!

-Kellie

(#mglitchat is on twitter every Thursday at 9 pm eastern....I know a lot of BBers participate. Would love to see some new faces!)

Re: MG books on war...titles please!

London Calling, by Edward Bloor, might work. It's about a contemporary boy whose family and school situation is kind of a mess and who inherits an old-fashioned radio from his grandmother when she dies. When he falls asleep listening to it, he dreams/time travels to London during the Blitz (WWII) because a boy there needs him to "do his part" and help his family. The various plotlines intersect by the end and there's a fair bit about life in a city being bombed incessantly. I know it sounds like fantasy, but the feel of the book is much more real, like, this is maybe a crazy-sounding story, but it really happened, sort of thing.

Re: MG books on war...titles please!

Your suggestions made me realize maybe I have read books with war in the plot...OKAY FOR NOW I've read. Totally forgot about the war component, but you jogged my memory. Also, THE APOTHECARY is set in wartime.

And I want to read so many of the other titles you mentioned! Thank you! Keep them coming!

Re: MG books on war...titles please!

All of John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband books have martial elements, but the last (10th?) of the Ranger's Apprentice was especially so. (Of course, it was imaginary war in an imaginary country. That count?)

Re: MG books on war...titles please!

Vietnam has a strong role in Me & Jack, which showcases the war from the perspective of a middle-grade boy whose father is a recruiter in a new town in Pennsylvania. The controversy of the war and the culture of the era are a significant backdrop to the story, which revolves around a boy who's moved far too often and the unusual dog he adopts.

Re: MG books on war...titles please!

Escaping the Tiger, by Laura Manivong. Laos refugee finds life in a Thai refugee camp almost as scary as war.The Good Braider, by Teri Farish. Sudan refugee finds her way in the US..The Summer Before Boys, by Nora Raleigh Baskin. Mom's deployed to Iraq.The Romeo & Juliet Code, by Phoebe Stone. Set in WWII England.The Book of Everything, by Guus Kuijer. Aftermath of WWII in Holland, effect on families of non-heroes.Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott.The Diary of Anne Frank.Voice of Thunder, by Mirka Breen.

Re: MG books on war...titles please!

Hey... I know you asked for MG... but did you guys hear about Suzanne Collins new PICTURE BOOK coming out in 2013 that relates to war?

NEW YORK (AP) — "The Hunger Games" novelist Suzanne Collins has a new book coming out next year.

The multimillion-selling children's author has completed an autobiographical picture story scheduled for Sept. 10, 2013, Scholastic Inc. announced Thursday. The 40-page book will be called "Year of the Jungle," based on the time in Vietnam served by Collins' father, a career Air Force officer.

Re: MG books on war...titles please!

Oh, and I don't think anyone's mentioned Ruta Sepetys' book yet - Between Shades of Grey. Pasting the blurb below:

Fifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life--until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive?

Re: MG books on war...titles please!

Wracking my brain to remember the title/author of a book about two Palestinian teens or maybe tweens sneaking into Jerusalem to find something for their grandmother. Anybody?Here's a link to a list separated by age level on Mitali Perkins' blog: http://www.mitaliblog.com/search/label/Children%20of%20War

Re: MG books on war...titles please!

Sorry if someone mentioned this already, but I really enjoyed COUNTDOWN by Deborah Wiles: It's 1962, and it seems everyone is living in fear. Twelve-year-old Franny Chapman lives with her family in Washington, DC, during the days surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis. Amidst the pervasive threat of nuclear war, Franny must face the tension between herself and her younger brother, figure out where she fits in with her family, and look beyond outward appearances. For Franny, as for all Americans, it's going to be a formative year.